


You're no stranger

by girafe13



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fallout 4 - Freeform, Romance, not even sorry, shameless fic is shameless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 19:21:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10225307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girafe13/pseuds/girafe13
Summary: “Boss”, he says through gritted teeth, fingers clenching on his shotgun, shoulders suddenly tense.He can feel it. Something… Something’s not right. His skin is crawling and he feels an icy chill on his arms. Robert MacCready is sweating a lot more than usual, and that means that something is going to happen.Because things always happen when he’s out with the boss. It’s only a few weeks in their contract, and he almost died at least ten times. -Yet another story about a certain grumpy  mercenary and the 200 years old vault dweller that hired him for protection. Snippets following the original plot of the game, spoilers if you didn't finish it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello fellow vault dwellers! Here's my shameless fic about my female sole survivor and MacCready. English is not my first langage, so if I made any mistakes, don't be shy to point them out to me.

“Boss”, he says through gritted teeth, fingers clenching on his shotgun, shoulders suddenly tense.

 He can feel it. Something…. Something’s not right. His skin is crawling and he feels an icy chill on his arms. Robert MacCready is sweating a lot more than usual, and that means that _something_ is going to happen.

 Because things _always_ happen when he’s out with the boss. It’s only a few weeks in their contract, and he almost died at least ten times. They literally never have a day off, because when they do try to take some time for themselves, a settlement needs their help.

 Stupid Minutemen with their stupid sense of cooperation and mutual help.

 

“ _Boss_ ”, he repeats, because she hadn’t hear him the first time, or didn’t _want_ to listen to him, either way, she’s still kicking at dirt as she makes her way down the abandoned street.

 “Mac, you can call me Audrey, I already told you that”, she says in a normal voice, barely turning her head towards him. She continues leading the way, while Maccready looks around nervously, the crawling now spreading to his neck and toes.

 “Well, _Audrey_ ,  I think we’re not alone”, he whispers angrily, and only then she stops and turns around, her red, fiery hair catching the remains of the sun, turning almost orange, like a forest fire.

 

“I would suggest we keep it low, _boss_ ” he adds, just to spite her a little bit, but he does so without any real snark.

 “Oh shit”, she answers, then immediately covers her mouth. “I mean... _oh shit_ ”, she then whispers. Maccready can’t help himself and grins. Audrey gets her pistol out of its holster, slowly raising it just above her hips.

 

They keep going a few minutes, looking right and left. They walk past a tall building, crumbling on its own weight. Its shadow envelops them, and Maccready has to blink a few times to adjust his eyes to the relative darkness, now that the sun is completely hidden. He can no longer see the red of Audrey’s hair, neither can he see her freckles, hiding behind her huge glasses.

 All he can see is her silhouette, and the glowing beeping of a super mutant suicider in the distance.

 “ _Fudge_ ”, he whispers, and it feels really unsatisfying. “ _Frick_ ” he tries again, and it’s a little better.

 Audrey turns around and shoots him a look. He points silently at the red dot coming their way. The supermutant is not alone. A group of them seem to have chosen a building a few blocks away to camp. This is just their luck. She takes a deep breath in surprise and starts to move over to him. Maccready immediately and instinctively covers her other side, and they are silent for a moment, listening to the brilliant conversation that is taking place just a few meters away.

 “Supermutant go over there and look for food”, one supermutant says to another, or, rather, grumbles while punching him hard enough for the other one to cry out.

 “ _MacCready_... “, the boss whispers, and he can feel her being afraid, trembling just a little bit, her grip on her gun tight as ever. “He’s coming over here” she adds, her voice strained.

 “Supermutant isgoing over there, no need to push” complains the unlucky supermutant who is slowly, but surely, coming over their lame hiding spot.

Maccready can feel Audrey’s body tense up, and he only has a few seconds to decide.

Fight or flight.

One look over his shoulder, and _of course_ , it’s the suicider of the gang that goes for food.

Flight it is.

 “Follow me”, MacCready whispers in the boss’ ear, and grabs her arm, pushing her towards the crumbling building still casting its menacing shadow over them.

 “Mac- what- _wait_ ” she whispers furiously as he pushes her against the wall, covering her with all his body length, which is not that much. Also, since the boss is a _little_ bit taller than him, the top of her head is only hidden by his hat. One of her leg falls dangerously close between his own, but he tries not to think about that, you know, with their imminent death and all.  She opens her mouth to protest, her gun still in hand, but he just puts his hand on her lips, shaking his head vehemently. A silent staring contest starts, but in the end, the beeping and the red light coming their way makes them stand still.

MacCready has his other arm propped on the wall, and if they weren't in a life threatening situation, he might have even enjoyed this. She was so close to him, he could feel her breath on his hand covering her mouth, her soft lips against his palm. He could see her brown, warm eyes behind her glasses, and her freckles were much clearer at that distance than they were earlier. He could feel her body heat and he could _smell_ her too, a hint of citrus soap, sweat and gunpowder. He realises he must smell pretty much the same.  When she had entered the Third Rail, she hadn’t smell like that. She smelled of fear and cold, she had something about her that didn’t _fit_. She looked like someone who had just woken up from a long, bad dream, her hair in loose curl framing her haunted face, her hands gripping a gun that she seemed not to know how to use properly. While he was talking away with the stupid Gunners, she had waited, looking nervous, but still managed to bribe him into accepting her scandalous offer of 200 caps for his services.

 Damn that perfect smile and gentle eyes.

 The supermutant walks past them without even a glance, and Maccready feels a little bit of tension leave his body. He removes slowly his hand from her mouth trailing his fingers on her lips, just a gentle touch, but it sends shivers down his spine, _good_ shivers this time. He looks at her, and she is _looking_ at him, probably since he put his hand on her mouth, and she’s waiting, just staring and breathing hard. He realizes he’s also breathing hard, and can’t stop looking at her mouth, now and. And.

 Holy shit, he is _screwed_. Big time.

 “Thanks”, she eventually says, low and rumbling.

He smiles weakly. They are so close, he could just caress her hair with his hand that is spread on the wall, just above her head.

“That’s what you pay me for, after all”, he answers instead, swallowing hard.

 A lawyer. _Right_. She looks like a freaking movie star, just like those before the bombs. He had seen the old posters. She’s the same. Big, curious eyes, hidden behind frames, a smile to die for, and fu- damn, Maccready might just do that.

 “We should go”, she says, but doesn’t move. “We’re quite open here and the sun is almost gone.”

 Maccready nods and pulls away slowly, reluctantly, and he hates himself for it. He shouldn’t… She’s his _boss_ , and Lucy…

 

They run to safety in silence.

* * *

 “Wait, hold on”, she says, stopping dead in her tracks, MacCready almost bumping into her. He grumbles as he makes his way around her, his eyes searching what she just saw.

 “Is that a _school_?” she asks, a wide smile spreading on her face.

 They were headed to the Dugout Inn in Diamond City after a few days out in the Commonwealth  for a good beer and a night of sleep, but Audrey had now other plans in mind.

 “Yes, boss, that _is_ a school”, he says reluctantly. “Now can we go? I’m starving” he complains once he realizes the boss is not moving from her spot.

 “Sure, go ahead, I’ll be with you in a few minutes”, she answers, pushing the door of the school in one, confident motion.

MacCready stops and turns around, sighing. The look on her face was priceless, and he couldn't believe she never saw the school before. He grumbles as he pushes the door himself, and nods to the guard while he climbs up the stairs.

 “... Although this is a public building, so feel free to look around”, the teacher is saying to the boss, while she nods.

 “Again, sorry for the disturbance”, she whispers, and goes to sit behind the teacher.

She is looking at the children and the whole class with such fondness, that he can’t help but to feel weird, just like he had walked in on her naked and vulnerable. He stays in the shadows, his presence never revealed to the children or the teacher, but Audrey’s eyes find his and she smiles at him from where she is sitting down. The lesson is about adjectives and pronouns, and MacCready can't help but feel bored out of his mind while he listens to the teacher. The boss, on the other hadn, is hanging on every word. When the class is finally over, she walks out as quietly as she can, not wanting to disturb the children while the work on some exercices. She grabs him by the arm, and he lets himself be led towards their first destination. 

It's only when they are seated at the Dugout Inn with a plate of roasted squirrel in front of them that he opens his big mouth.

“What _was_ that all about?” he asks, because he can’t help it.

She shrugs, taking a swing at her beer. “I just always liked school. Never thought I’d see another one after the bombs”.

He shakes his head. “In Little Lamplight, we didn’t really have a school…” he remembers, and realizes too late what he just said.

“Little Lamplight?” she asks, curious. Her glasses are reflecting the neon lights, and her hair is now in a loose ponytail. MacCready wants to loosen it and let her hair fall freely on her shoulders.

“Ah… Uhm… Well, I wasn’t always a fearless mercenary, you know…’ he begins, his cheeks burning.

As he explains that he actually was the mayor of the kid town, he can see her face melt into a weird expression. Fondness? Amusement? He can’t really put his finger on it.

"Wow…” she drags out when he’s finished. “ _Mayor_ MacCready…” she tries out, and then bursts out laughing.

“Hey!” he protests, smacking her lightly on the shoulder. “I was _very_ qualified, I’ll have you know.”

She smiles at him, eyes shining in the dim light of the Dugout Inn, eager to hear more about his life. He happily obliges, telling her stories about his time on the road and odd jobs he did.

As the night falls, MacCready can’t help but think that this job, protecting the boss, sharing meals and stories... That it would not be so bad after all. 

* * *

“No way that it works” he scoffs, before taking a big slurp of his warm noodles.

“I am _telling,_ you it works”, she says, menacing him with her sticks, making a face when she sees him practically inhaling his food. “Ew. Chew a little bit, woulda?”

He smiles and rolls his eyes. “Well, I don’t believe you. You’ll have to show me” he teases, and he _knows_ he shouldn’t. But.  She is so _fun_ to tease. For a moment, MacCready can forget all their troubles. The way she raises her eyebrows in defiance, the way her chest puffs.

“Oh really? I’ll show you, you’ll see.” she says, shaking her head in disbelief. 

It’s a nice evening in Diamond City. The radio is playing old songs in the distance. The lights are illuminating the market, and a few people are shopping around, doing their little thing on their own. They had decided to stop for a few days, see about Valentine’s agency and maybe help around for a few caps. They were now changed in more relaxed clothes, Audrey’s Home Plate just a few meters away, and MacCready actually feels safe for the first time in weeks.

 “You _really_ did that before?” he asks again, chewing his noodles because he _wants_ to, not because she asked him to. 

 She shrugs, kicking off her boots. “Always works. I cannot believe that you would think that I’m a liar.”

She grumbles some more under her breath while removing her socks and rolling them up on themselves. MacCready can only catch a few words of her rambling, including “dumb merc” and something about “no brains only muscles”. She is smiling the whole time, though, so MacCready doesn’t really mind. The boss then unzips her vaultsuit just below her breasts, and then the game changes completely. MacCready’s noodles are dangling from his chopsticks, mouth open in disbelief as he freezes completely. He did not just see the boss do _that_?

 He looks around, uneasy. Everybody is so caught up in their own world, they missed the most wonderful sight in the history of forever. Well, in his humble opinion. He looks back at her. Her collarbones are just asking for a light biting. Her naked shoulders start shivering in the evening breeze, he perfect skin a mouthwhatering sight, and MacCready suddenly doesn’t know if he wants to cuddle her, or… He tries to clear his thoughts, but the white, simple bra she is wearing is making things _very_ difficult for him.

Just then, the realizes exactly _what_ she is doing.  She is stuffing her socks into her bra, pushing her breasts higher. They actually _do_ look bigger like that, although MacCready likes her breasts the size they actually are _.  Not_ that he looks at her like that, nor does he looks at her ass or hips once in awhile… Just making sure everything is in place, that she’s not hurt… Not just to stare or have some _impure_ thoughts.  It’s the vaultsuit fault, really. He can’t do anything about that _revealing_ piece of clothing.

 She finally zips up her suit, but not completely up, so that her cleavage is basically the first thing you see when she turns towards you.

 “Now, watch and learn” she says, oblivious of his internal struggle to not kiss her right then and there, or at least, caress her hips, her hair, _anything._ Hejust wants to _touch_ her. She removes her glasses and ruffles her hair a bit, paying for their food and hoping down the small stool to walk towards the market place.  His noodles fall back into the bowl as she makes her way towards Moe, the baseball vendor. They had heard he was hiring for a simple job, but the caps he was offering were ridiculously low. She then talked about how, before the war, she had used a specific technique to get what she wanted. Thus, their previous conversation. MacCready hastily put down his bowl and sticks, and hurried after her. Moe saw her coming a mile away. He straightens his posture and looks her up and down, a sly grin on his face. Something dark in MacCready stomach twiches, but he stops himself from punching the vendor in the face.

 Her plan is totally working. Aaaaand he is hard as a rock in his pants.

“ _Helloooo_ you”, says Moe, grinning, his eyes trying to focus on Audrey’s face, but failing miserably. “What can I do for ya?”

 “I’m looking for a job”, the boss says, her voice low and seductive.

MacCready swallows. Hard. He never thought her voice could sound like _that_. 

 “Well, I can think of a lot of things you could do for me, sweetcheeks”, Moe answers, winking, and Audrey actually laughs at that sleazy joke, putting her hand on the vendor’s arm, winking back.

“I’m actually looking for a few collectibles”, Moe eventually continues. “I can pay you good money… Let’s say 100 caps per objects you can find and some extra when you come back?”

MacCready huffs, removing his hat in indignation. He was offered 50 caps per objects, that was _it_ , earlier that same day. Audrey doesn’t even look back at him, and Moe stays focused on her. It was just as if he didn’t exist.

“Come on, Moe… You can do better than that…’ she trails off, pouting, and… Holy sh- frick. Is she _actually_ pushing her breasts together?

 Moe visibly starts to sweat. “150 caps per objects, and 100 more when you come back”. he says, voice low as she still caresses his arm.

 “Moe… Make it worth my while…” she pushes once more, almost whispering into his ear. Moe is now bright red, and thinking fast, his eyes still on her breasts.

“Fine” he concedes. “200 caps per objects, and 200 caps when you come back.”

Audrey pats him a few time on the arm. “We have a deal, sweet boy” she says, and walks back towards MacCready, her smile as seductive as can be. The mercenary can feel his heart beating fast into his ribcage as he follows her. Moe sits down and breathes hard as he waves her goodbye. They walk fast towards Valentine’s agency to get some privacy. MacCready’s throat is completely dry as he had his mouth open for the last ten minutes.

“I think I broke him”, Audrey says, matter of factly,  while putting back on ther glasses, and removing her socks from her bra, putting them back on.

“That was… Tha-That was _freaking_ amazing”, MacCready furiously whispers, his blood starting to slowly return to his brain. “That’s at least  _400_ caps you just won us! You are… You’re a black widow, that’s what you are.

She laughs at that, and zips her vaultsuit all the way back up, just as it was before. MacCready feels suddenly sad, but is also relieved that he can look at her without wanting to jump on her.

“Told you it would work!” she smacks him on the arm, playful as ever. She then slowly walks towards her apartment, and opens the door, inviting him in.

"Let's get some rest. We'll head out tomorrow", she says, back to her old self.

MacCready follows her inside, wondering if he’ll ever be able to figure her out completely. One day she is serious and determined to find her son, the other, she is playful and suggests crazy ideas like that. She is slowly, but surely getting accustomed to her new life, and he tries to accompany her in her journey. It's just that... MacCready never thought it would be so _satisfying_ , to see her getting out of her shell, to share more and more of her life before the war, her habits, likes and dislikes.

 As the door to Home Plate closes behind him, MacCready finally understands that he can’t view his time spent with the boss just like a job anymore. For better or worse, he cares about her.

 He is _truly_ screwed.

* * *

“Why do you always do that?” he screams, firing his gun at the ferals in front of them.

“Do _what?_ ” she answers furiously,  finishing one ghoul by _punching_ it, and holy damn, that was actually a cool move.

Not that he would admit that to her, or anybody _ever_.

“Run _right_ into trouble!” he argues more, even if the situation is hardly ideal. “We could have done a little reckon before jumping in!”

She rapidly fires her shotgun, reloading just like he taught her, a lazy afternoon in Goodneighbour, and fires some more. Soon, the area is clean, and MacCready can finally breathe.

“Really, it’s not complicated, we just circle the location, maybe throw a couple of grenades from a distance....” he continues just as they were never in extreme combat a few seconds before.

He can’t say anything more, because just as he turns around to talk some more, she grunts as she collapses on the floor in the dust. MacCready is at her side in instants.

“Boss? _Audrey?_ Are you okay?” he asks hurriedly, his left hand supporting her back, his left not really knowing where to grab.

“It’s okay, it’s just my leg, I grazed it…” she answers while grabbing at her knee, teeth clenched together. Her glasses are sliding down her nose and she closes her eyes as Maccready lowers her on the ground to reach his bag.

“I have a stimpak in there somewhere, just hold on”, he says, voice tense. Audrey is pale, even paler than usual, and her hair is falling down in her eyes. There is a red stain just above her knee, and turns out the “graze” was actually a deep cut, probably due to the debris on the floor all around them.

He quickly fixes her, and she hisses as he punches the stimpak in her tender flesh.  He adds a few bandages to be on the safe side.

“There you go, boss” he says, and MacCready feels his heart beating fast. He doesn’t know why, it was a simple cut, easily fixed, but the simple thought of Audrey hurt had send him in a frenzy. He looks back at her face, trying to regain his confidence. She is slowly pulling herself on her elbows, testing her leg. Colors seem to get back to her face as the medication runs through her veins.

“I think I’m good”, she says, getting up without much help. He stills holds her arm just in case, the feeling of her skin burning through his fingers.

“Thanks, Mac.” She smiles. He can never get tired of that, and he hates himself for it.

“Robert”, he blurts out before he can stop himself. “You can call me Robert”.

She smiles some more, and while she’s still a little bit wobbly on her leg, that her hair is still falling into her eyes and that her glasses are no longer in place, she looks freaking amazing, as always.

“Robert”, she tries it out out loud, and laughs. “What about Bobby?” she asks innocently, finally pushing back her glasses back in place.

He groans. “No nicknames, please! Mac was horrible enough…”

She scoffs. “You didn’t like _Mac_? And you didn’t tell me anything!”

“You seemed liked it, so… No, I didn’t say anything” he defends himself, scratching his neck, embarrassed.

She looks around, still smirking, her face now a little bit red, and finds what they were here for. The workshop.

“Perfect for a new settlement. Help me clean out, please, _Bob_.”

“Frick you, boss”

Her laughs echoes around them as the night falls once more on them.

 

* * *

He wakes up to the smell of grilled mirelurk and to the sound of humming.

Maccready opens one sleepy eye, the rising sun almost blinding him, and realizes that he slept all night. Boss was supposed to wake him up for his watch, but she never did.

He yawns, not bothering to cover his mouth. It’s been a few consecutive days that she pulled that trick on him. He always felt rested and guilty afterwards. He promised himself next time he would take the whole shift.

“Good morning”, she says while poking at the mirelurk meat roasting. Maccready knew it was her least favorite thing to fight. He also knew Audrey took a vile pleasure to cook them and eat them in revenge for the trouble they gave her.

She continues her humming. It’s an old song, he just knows it. He never heard it on the radio, and the way she is singing it makes her eyes go blank for a few minutes, her smile just a little bit forced.

“Should have woken me up”, he says, stretching and yawning once more. “It’s dangerous. You could have fallen asleep, and…”

She is crying. Tears are falling silently on her cheeks, and suddenly, Maccready has never been so panicked in his life.

Supermutants? Sure. Raiders? Anyday.

His boss, now friend, maybe even _best_ friend, crying first thing in the morning?

 _Hell_ no.

After months of travelling together, it’s actually the first time he sees her cry. Maccready had seen her shaken up, panicked, curious, excited, discouraged. But sad? Never. He thinks of all the time she talked about her son, or her life before, and it was always with determination. She _had_ to find Shaun, she _had_ to get back to her life of before. She _had_ to help the Commonwealth.  Maybe she had pushed all her feelings down, just like he does. Maybe they were all surfacing now because of the song. Maccready doesn’t know, and doesn’t care. He has to act.

 Tears keep falling from her eyes, and Maccready just doesn’t know what to do, or say. He just sits closer to her, still half asleep, and pulls her in his arms. She stays there, which is a good start, and her sniffles are slowly stopping.

 “We’ll find Shaun, I promised you, no need to cry. We just have to find that last piece of equipment for the freaky machine, and we’re good to go”, he softly says. He doesn’t really know what to do then, so he just does something he’s been aching to do since he met her.

He caresses her hair. Her red, fiery hair that always reflects the setting sun. She freezes at that, and he worries that he made a big mistake, heart beating hard, but she relaxes just a moment after.

“Robert… I…”, she whispers, looking up. He smiles at her, a sad smile.

“I know. Sometimes I forget too” he says, and Maccready doesn’t know if it’s the right thing to say, but it seems to console her. He had told her about Lucy and Duncan, just after she told him her story, and why it was almost impossible for her to find her son, but god forbid she gave up now. She nodded against his collarbone, sighing. Maccready was hurting for her, and for himself. He let himself feel vulnerable for a minute, and he hated that he felt so open with her.  Audrey’s freckles are barely apparent on her now sun kissed skin. He wants to count them and map them into constellations.

“I wanted to be a teacher”, she eventually says. Her tone is neutral. Maccready just nods and wait for the rest.  “But... My parents wanted me to be a lawyer.”

She sighs, heavyhearted. Maccready thinks of the fond way she looked at the school in Diamond City. He thinks about her gentleness, her generosity. He thinks about her patience, with him, with herself.

“You would have made a great teacher”, he says, and he believes it.

The grilling sound of meat brings them back to reality. She pulls away to take care of the food, and brings back two sticks of mirelurk meat with muttfruit and water. They eat in a comfortable silence, MacCready's left hand close to her, the small heat radiating throught kind of comforting. 

 

“Thank you for being here for me”, she says eventually when they are packing their things. She is talking to her bag, and he doesn’t know where to look. "I know it must suck to watch my back because I have _zero_ aim, but… Thanks.”

 He then looks at her, _really_ looks at her. Her face scratched by those same mirelurks that are now in their stomachs. Her glasses reflecting the light of the aggressive sun. Her dirty pants and blouse, hidden beneath rusted armor, and army boots. He looks at her arms, now toned from carrying all their crap, and her powerful legs, now able to sprint at a moment’s notice. She looks nothing like the women who hired him a few months back. She looks tired and worried, but also glad to be here with him. Which baffles Maccready, because he’s not super great company either. Always grumpy and complaining, commenting everything she does. She smiles, just then, and Maccready can’t help himself. He grabs her arms and pulls her to him, hugging her like he could squeeze the worry out of her just by the sheer force of his arms.

“What-” she begins, but he is already pulling back, red as a tato. He had a chance to smell her hair, and it was enough for him right now.

“Let’s get moving so I can earn the caps that you’re paying me”, he says instead of _“I have an embarrassing crush on you, boss and it’s killing me. Could you be less adorable, please?”_

They both begin walking, Audrey oddly silent. It’s been a few weeks that he didn’t ask for a single pay and the 200 caps that she originally paid him were back in her bag.

She makes no comment, and he silently leads the way to their next location.

* * *

“You’re telling me.... There’s only one room left?” Maccready says, rubbing his eyes, while the woman at the hotel rolls his eyes at him and nods once more.

It’s been a few weeks past their morning hug incident, and Maccready had chosen to take some distance. He only talks to her if absolutely necessary. He never touches her directly. He misses their long conversation about everything and nothing at all, but he feels that if he gets any closer, he won’t be able to get away. He will be stuck with her forever and care much more than he should, really. Not that he already is caring too much, but. _Well_. That’s another story. The boss doesn’t seem to mind, although he catches her glance once in awhile. It worries him. She didn’t looked at him like that since he told her about Lucy and Duncan.

He sighs. Maybe he _shouldn’t_ have told her about them.  It was a moment of weakness, only because she was telling him her story, her crazy, _200 years old kept in a freezer_ story, and he couldn’t help but to share the feeling of losing someone you cared about. That night, they slept inches from each other, and Maccready had dreamt of Lucy and that horrible night. When he had woken up, their fingers were intertwined and Maccready’s heart was almost exploding in his chest.

 " _One_ room. Ten caps. Ya going to take it, or what?”

He is brutally taken back to the present, keys jangling in front of his nose. He grabs them and pays the women at Hotel Roxford, and grabs his bag to wait for Audrey in the lobby.  She was dealing with Kleo for some ammo and maybe a new gun, and should arrive pretty soon.

He drags his feet on the floor, feeling miserable, and hopes that the room has a couch. They hadn’t share a bed yet, during all those months, and because of that weird tension between them (that was completely his fault, _by the way_ ), he would sleep on the floor before feeling her heat between the covers and smelling her hair while waking up.  No, he wouldn’t let himself think about how her skin would be soft under his fingers while he caressed her arms and legs, how she would kiss him while smiling, how her eyes would be bigger without her glasses, pupils blown in want, how she would feel relaxed and pliant under him, how her breath would catch in her throat as he would…

 “So? Did they have any room?” Audrey asks while dumping her bag in front of him, a bit harsher than usual. The sun is gone and Maccready has to take a deep breath to calm his wild heart, blinking back into reality. Looking at her, he feels ashamed and guilty, but most of all he feels a deep ache that eats him alive.

“Yeah”, he answers, clearing his throat. “Just the one”.

She shrugs. “I just want to sleep the next few hours and not think about anything” she says, picking up her bag again.

While they climb up the stairs, MacCready feels bad. Audrey really looks defeated, as they still didn’t find the last piece missing for the teleportation machine. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders, and looks like she could use a friend. MacCready feels stupid, then angry, then stupid again. He struggles with his thoughts, with his desires. He knows he still can’t do anything about his growing feelings, but…

 He really misses her. He misses Audrey’s laugh and smile, he misses when she shoves him after he does a bad pun or he laughs at his own jokes. He misses their heated arguments on the best way to approach a dangerous situation. He misses her presence and her hair close to him, red as fire and soft as can be. He thinks back on their first mission together, how she had taken care of a small settlement and killed a few raiders for them. How her hands had shaken, because she was not used to so much violence. How he had reassured her the best he could.

 “Teach me” she had said, voice hard and determined. “Teach me how to shoot”.

She learns fast as hell. MacCready himself was impressed.  

Now she is setting her bag on the small dresser, and looks over the bed, her tall frame pulled to the ground by her tiredness. 

“One bed”, she says, voice neutral, and then stays silent. She doesn’t move, looking right at the bed. She has changed so much over the last months, fighting and scraping her way through the Commonwealth, spitting back at it. Her body, her mind… All had changed. He can’t say if it’s for the best, but at least she can survive all alone. Maybe she _would_ be better off alone. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with his sorry ass. MacCready had thought about leaving her, but he can't bring himself to do it just yet. He _has_ to know she's alright. 

“I... guess I’ll be sleeping on the floor”, says MacCready, his voice uneasy.

He begins to settle down his things, but a hand on his shoulder stops him. Audrey is suddenly very close, the closest she has been in _weeks_. MacCready arm’s hair is standing up just by this simple touch. He is _so_ screwed. _So_ busted. He waits for the inevitable cries demanding what is his problem, but instead, she gets even closer.

“Robert. Tell me what I did wrong”, she slowly says, and he can hear the tears in her voice.

Oh wow. He hates himself even more. He didn't think it was acutally possible. “You… You did nothing wrong”, he weakly protests, and he is back on his feet in an instant. She follows him, still grabbing his arm.

“I don’t believe you”, she says. “You haven’t talked to me in _weeks_. You’re angry with me, you don’t look at me, you don’t speak…” She shakes her head, finally letting go of him, taking a few steps back.

“I’m sorry for whatever I did, I....” She takes in a deep breath. “I miss you, Bobby.”

Before he can answers, she storms out of the room, her boots stomping away in the distance. MacCready is left alone with his thoughts. Can he tell her how he really felt without throwing away their friendship out the window? Can't he just _accepts_ the fact that they were meant to be friends, and keep his mouth shut? He groans as he rubs his eyes with both hands. He _needs_ a drink, stat.

As he makes his way to the Third Rail, he sees Audrey pushing the door open. " _Looks like she had the same idea",_ he thinks, shaking his head. He stops in his tracks, and finally decides to follow her. He nods at the bouncer, Ham, and quickly goes downstairs to the familiar bar where he drank himself blind on more than one occasion.

 He spots her immediately, her tall silhouette making her way to the bar, asking for a glass. Whitechapel Charlie obliges, quickly refilling it when she drowns it in one big gulp. Magnolia is at the bar too, her dark hair tickling Audrey’s neck as she hugs her from behind. The two women fall quickly into deep conversation, and Maccready can’t hear what they are saying from where he is. He quickly walks into the VIP room, and sits down at the farest sofa, the familiarity of the place a small comfort to him.

It’s been months since he returned here. He almost feels like the Gunners will be there in a few minutes, but he remembers that the ones that were after him are all dead.

Because of Audrey.

He looks over the dresser and spots a half finished bottle of rhum. He grabs it with a small grunt and opens the bottle. MacCready immediately takes a big swing, grimacing when the alcohol burns his throat. He can almost see her, the first time he met her, a woman out of time, her vaultsuit sticking on her skin.

He remembers the first thing he thought upon seeing her was “ _tall_ ”, and then “ _fire_ ”, because of her hair. He takes another sip of his drink, and settles in more in the sofa while Magnolia begins to sing in the other room.

He hears footsteps coming his way, and he just gets up fast, ready to fight if needed.

Of course, he doesn’t need to fight. His enemies are long dead.

Of course, it’s Audrey that walks right into the room.

She is a bit tipsy, walking in a not so straight line, giggling to herself.

“ _Oh_ ”, she says when she sees him, and her smile fades. “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you”, he says, feeling defensive for no reason, clutching the bottle in his hands.

“Oh?” she asks. “You’re also waiting for Magnolia to finish her shift?”

Her expression is blank, but MacCready knows her well enough to know that she’s kidding.

“You know damn well Magnolia doesn’t swing your way, boss”, he says, although he’s not so sure anymore, remembering the two women’s conversation from earlier. That... That's an interesting though he stores for later, when he's not feeling so miserable. 

She shrugs and takes a step forwards, but almost trips on her own feet.

“Woha, there”, he says, catching her in his arm in one swift motion. His duster gets caught to her vaultsuit, and when he looks into her eyes, he can’t help but to feel that familiar ache. He puts her back on her feet, puts the bottle back into its spot, and motions for the door.

“I think we better get back to the hotel”, he suggests. She nods, suddenly serious. She takes his hat and puts it on her head, leading the way.

MacCready quietly laughs, and tries to put back in place his unruly hair. The hat fits her well.

Of _course_.

The walk is quite silent, and is very different from their usual banter. When they get to their rooms, she gives him his hat back, and he puts it down with hit duster and other clothes, only keeping his boxers and a shirt on. MacCready puts her to bed, removing her boots and her coat, letting her removing her vaultsuit and socks. She lies down and turns away from him, the silence creeping on them, their last conversation suddenly heavy on their minds.

He finally pulls out a sleeping bag from his pack, and settles on the floor besides the bed.

“I meant what I said, you know”, Audrey softly says into the dark room. “I really miss you, Bobby.”

And MacCready closes his eyes, trying not to make any noise as she falls asleep, and he misses her too.

* * *

 It’s been  four days since she disappeared on that stupid teleportation platform, and MacCready can hardly sleep anymore.

“She will be back when she’s ready”, Mama Murphy says to him at least twice a day, and the mercenary doesn’t know if he wants to push her on the ground or hug her.

He hugs her.

Preston, on the other hand, is not very helping.

“I can’t believe she went there all alone” the Minutemen tells him one night while they are cleaning the house, another Super Important Minuteman Duty. “I hope she’s alright.”

“She _is_ alright”, he angrily answers, while wiping the sweat on his forehead with the front of his duster.

They had left things weird, but a little better after that night at the Third Rail. His stomach twists as he remembers the strike of lightning hitting her, and then… He gets up, walking away from Preston, and decides to take a short walk around Sanctuary to clear his mind.

 The little town had developed so much during the last months, Audrey always running to help in any way she could in the past few months. He walked towards Audrey’s old house, but did not dare enter while she wasn't here with him. He sighed, refusing to look at the broken teleportation device behind him. Instead, he continued and walked some more, admiring the work she had put into making this pile of garbage a home for so many people.

The evening is colder than usual, and MacCready tightened his scarf around his neck, shivering. He sees the signs before his brain catches up with them. A vault. The vault 111, just up this hill. His curiosity is killing him, but just as he takes a step forward, a loud noise brings him back to reality. A few shouts and people running behind him makes him turn around, worried.

As more and more people are shouting, MacCready starts sprinting, taking his gun out of his pocket. Did somebody get hurt? Are some raiders attacking? There's a large gathering close to the teleportation machine, and MacCready's heart jumps into his ribcage when he catches a glimpse of a tall silhouette, hugging people in her way, nodding seriously. Preston is blocking his view, but he soon steps aside, and...

He sees _her_. Hair red as fire, brown eyes gentle as ever.

She’s back, the boss is back, _Audrey_ ’s back…

“Bobby!” she shouts, pushing away Preston and other few settlers. She looks clean and rested, and very excited to see him. He can’t help but turn red under her stare. At this moment, MacCready can’t hold it in anymore. If he tries, he’ll _explode_. He crosses the distance between them in a few faithful steps, cups her face and kisses her like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do.

 Her lips are as soft as they were that night they hid from the supermutant. Her body is as firm and hot as he thought it would be, and the noises she makes while kissing him back after her initial surprise are way more that he can handle. She’s _here_ . She’s actually here, in his arms, kissing _him_ back.

“Bobby…’ she breathes as he finally lets go. “I…”

She lets out a small sigh, and MacCready can feel the tension in her shoulders.

“I’m _so_ glad you’re back”, he says. “I’m so sorry about before, I don’t _ever_ want to fight again, I missed you so much”, he rambles on, still caressing her face, not wanting to let her go.  She smiles at him, eyes brights under the stars, and as the other settlers wander away to give them some privacy, she hugs him tight.

 “Did you find Shaun?” he asks, breathless, and just then she starts crying.

 “General…’ Preston softly says from a respectable distance. “Perhaps you should get some rest.”

She nods as she cries some more, her nose buried in MacCready’s scarf. She’s not wearing her vaultsuit anymore, but a simple blue dress that looks too clean to be old. He is still hugging her, and guides her to her old house, where she sits down heavily on an old couch in the living room, shivering.

MacCready doesn’t even have the time to look around properly as he finds her old bedroom. He goes inand makes sure her room is ready for her. He never saw her old house like this. He feels weird, but he knows now is not the time for questions. He hurries to find a blanket and some water in the kitchen while he can hear her still sobbing in the living room. When he finally sets up her room, he turns back, but can’t find her anywhere.

“Boss?” he asks, panicking _only_ slightly.

He finds her in what can only be Shaun’s old room, grabbing his broken crib while her knuckles turn white. MacCready takes a few steps forward, his heart breaking in million pieces in his chest.

“Shaun’s… Shaun’s _65 years old_ ” she whispers harshly, the trace of her tears still apparent on her face. “He… He’s the Institute _leader_.”

She shakes his head while MacCready’s stomach falls into his feet. _What?_

“He was there all along…” she heavily sighs, her hair falling into her eyes as she continues. MacCready’ head is spinning. This is way too much information in one go, but he bares it for her, because she needs this, needs _him_ to understand what happened.

“He didn’t even tried to wake me up sooner, he just… Figured it would be interesting to see me survive in the Commonwealth…”

She turns back to him, her eyes crazy with a spark he can’t recognize. At that moment, he’s scared for her, but also for all of the _others_ . He doesn’t know what she will do next, and she might be determined to wipe out everyone in retribution. “He’s dying, MacCready. He’s _sick_.”

She takes in a deep breath before speaking again. “And he wants _me_ to lead the Institute after he’s gone. But I’m not going to do that.”

 She takes a few steps towards him until she can grab the front of his duster, and brings him even closer. “We’re going to make them _pay_. We’re going to take down the Institute, once and for all”.

 Her voice is fierce, but he can also feel something’s broken inside of her. MacCready feels a shiver down his spine. He wants to help her fix herself, make the people that put her in that state, pay too. He silently grabs her left hand, and brings it to his mouth, kissing the knuckles slowly.

“Then let me help you do it.”

  
That night, they sleep in the same bed, MacCready holding her just like she’s going to disappear any minute, Audrey clutching at his arms to keep herself grounded. It feels so normal, so _good_ , and MacCready can finally feel an ease to the ache he constantly feels when she’s around him. Her body is nothing but heat and her ass pushing back on his hips, makes him dizzy, and they fall asleep intertwined, breaths close and hearts beating fast even closer.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This is a part one, there will be a part two if you guys are interested. Again, thank you for your time! 
> 
> tumblr is jim-bones-spock and the tag for my fss is in the fallout 4 tag.


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